Ohio State quarterback Julian Sayin was under duress Saturday and chucked his pass to the sideline and out of danger. As he let go, Washington’s Ta’ita’i Uiagalelei collided into Sayin, a relatively harmless looking contact that didn’t even send the quarterback to the turf at Husky Stadium.
Third-and-20 was on deck for the Buckeyes at the fringe of field-goal range in the early stages of the second half — until a yellow flag landed on the turf.
Roughing the passer on Uiagalelei. First down Ohio State. And four plays later, a 14-3 Ohio State lead.
“Oh boy,” CBS play-by-play broadcaster Brad Nessler said on the telecast after the call was made.
On a day Washington’s defense was short-handed due to injuries and lost another key starter in the first half, the Huskies needed to be as flawless as they could to stay with the No. 1 team in the country.
For the most part, Washington’s defense played well in the 24-6 loss to the Buckeyes and was markedly better than what the Huskies showed at times last week in the Apple Cup against Washington State.
But when near perfection is what’s required to stay competitive, a questionable call can make a significant difference.
“Um, they called roughing the passer,” Washington coach Jedd Fisch said when asked about the call.
And when asked if he’d teach Uiagalelei to do anything different, Fisch bluntly said, “No.”
How much that one call ultimately mattered on an afternoon when the Huskies managed just three points and 69 total offensive yards in the second half against the Buckeyes is a fair question.
But if the flag isn’t dropped, Ohio State is facing third and long. And though a field goal was likely, it would have still kept it a one-score game midway through the third quarter.
“I wish I did (see it). I didn’t even see a replay of it,” UW safety Makell Esteen said.
Fisch was careful with his words about the penalty, but the CBS crew seemed dumbfounded as to why it was called. It started with Nessler’s original comment before Gene Steratore, who works as a rules analyst for CBS and is a former NFL official, stated, “I don’t think that’s roughing the passer there,” noting that Uiagalelei didn’t lead with the crown of the helmet and the contact was not to the head.
CBS analyst Gary Danielson agreed with the assessment, and Nessler concluded with, “I don’t like that one; neither do Husky fans, obviously.”
It was the only defensive penalty called against Washington in the game.
“I thought our defense played great,” Fisch said.
Great is probably a relative term when considering how basic Ohio State kept its game plan. Washington was not going to let the Buckeyes hit anything over the top, which left Sayin throwing underneath for most of the day.
Ohio State’s longest pass completion was 19 yards to Jeremiah Smith, arguably the best wide receiver in the country. Smith also had an 18-yarder for a touchdown late in the first half when Washington blitzed on third-and-11 and didn’t get to Sayin in time.
“That’s my fault. I think I could have done better on that play,” said Esteen, who was one of the players blitzing on that play.
Fisch didn’t have an issue with the call by defensive coordinator Ryan Walters, but there was a clear breakdown in execution.
“We didn't get to the quarterback fast enough, and when that happens, even if you're playing zero coverage behind it, you hope that somebody can be there to just make a tackle save from a touchdown, and we weren't in position to do that,” Fisch said. “That was an unfortunate turn of events.”
Ohio State finished with 357 total yards — the most allowed this season by Washington. But it was a significant difference from the previous two games for the Buckeyes, when they posted 651 yards against Grambling State and 572 against Ohio.
Ohio State also averaged 4.4 yards per carry, a number the Huskies would have preferred to see lower. UW sacked Sayin just once. Meanwhile, UW quarterback Demond Williams Jr. was sacked six times.
The Huskies were without one of their best pass rushers for most of the game after edge Zach Durfee suffered an elbow injury in the first half. Durfee sat dejectedly on the Washington bench for a chunk of the second quarter and held his knee brace in his hand, knowing his day was done.
“I’ll find out tomorrow after we do the MRIs,” Fisch said.
UW was already without linebacker Buddah Al-Uqdah due to a leg injury suffered last week in the Apple Cup. Starting cornerback Tacario Davis worked out pregame and was close to being able to go, but Fisch said he wasn’t at the point where the staff felt comfortable putting him out there. Fisch was optimistic about Davis returning next week at Maryland.
“We worked him out before the game. He practiced Thursday. He did our walk-through yesterday,” Fisch said. “But we didn't feel comfortable that he could protect himself completely, tackling, et cetera.”
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